HAVANA - Engineer Dagoberto Valdés Hernández, director of the Centro de
Formación Cívico Religiosa de Pinar del Río (Center for Civic/Religious
Education in Pinar del Rio) talked about his experiences in the meeting
summoned by the Pontificio Consejo Justicia y Paz (Pontifical Council for
Justice & Peace) that took place in the Vatican in Italy during the last
week of May.

Before he spoke, there was a great chatter that took place in the hall of
the House of the Daughters of Charity in the city of Pinar del Rio. Present
were religious leaders, lay members, members of the social commissions of
the Catholic Church and of various civil institutions.

Engineer Valdes, who is a member of the Pontifical Commission, talked about
his impressions of the events and dissertations given by the personalities
of the organisms and international institutions present in the Vatican and
that had as themes poverty and exclusion in the era of globalization.

According to Dagoberto Valdés Hernández it was a very special and
emotional moment when he was received by Cardenal Roger Etchegaray,
president of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace. This meeting
included an analysis of Cuba's current issues and the results of the visit
of the pope to Cuba. Mr. Valdes also pointed out the significance of the
photograph taken of him with others in front of the image of Our Lady of
Charity, an image that was a gift of the then Cuban minister of foreign
relations, Roberto Robaina, on his visit to the Holy See.

At the end of his presentation, Engineer Dagoberto Valdés answered
several questions from people present at the gathering.